JMU to host 13th annual Madison Cup

The 13th annual Madison Commemorative Debate and Citizen Forum, better known as the Madison Cup, will take place on April 11.

This year 37 collegiate debate teams from all over the nation, including Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, George Mason University, George Washington University and the U.S. Naval Academy are sending teams to compete. The two-student teams will debate the topic of whether natural gas should be a cornerstone of U.S. energy policy.

The JMU debate team is currently ranked 4th by the National Debate Tournament’s National Sweepstakes ranking and has two two-person teams competing for the Madison Cup. The championship round, which attracted an audience of over 500 last year, is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the Wilson Hall Auditorium. Preliminary rounds will take at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Taylor Hall.

The Madison Cup is annually put on by the Madison Debate Society and the School of Communication Studies and this year will again be sponsored by the Rupe Foundation.